How To Propagate Succulents

This is another of those little jobs that’s fun to do at this time of year, and is so easy because succulents, such as sedums, sempervivums and echeveria for example, are so keen to reproduce, they do most of the work for you.

They either produce little plantlets crying out to be potted up, or can be propagated from their own foliage.

Succulents are defined as having fleshy leaves and keep themselves moist by carrying water in them.

It’s a characteristic often needed in their native dry, hot, sunny countries.

They’re really tolerant plants, keeping themselves pliable and happy to be moved about and disturbed, almost as if they want you to pull them apart and replant them, so they can spread themselves about more easily!

Some such as kalanchoe and Aloe vera are tender and need to be kept indoors in a frost-free place and a bit of warmth in many cases. But the propagation process is easy.

Simply buy some good, welldraining compost and fill little pots with it.

Then it’s a case of transferring leaflets or rosettes to the pots, which often fall off into your hands readily, putting them on a windowsill and watching them do their thing!

Be sure to also repot pot-bound plants in spring.

1. Pick off a healthy sedum ‘leaf’ or a small plantlet from your succulent.

2. Leave the offshoots to dry out a little for a couple of days. Use a well-draining compost and add small handfuls of Perlite and grit.

3. Plant leaflets into a pot of compost, water lightly and place in a light spot.